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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Deer In The Mist

I promised to tell you the strange story of my encounter with the deer I've been showing you for the last couple of days, so that's just what I'm going to do. Maybe I should have done this first, but that wouldn't have been as much fun, now would it? Well anyway, here we go!

I had just walked to the edge of the meadow, and I didn't really expect to see much of anything here this early in the morning. I thought I'd go ahead and take a few pictures since it was so misty here. Maybe I could get a few nice ones together for a small post for my blog, even though it was kind of hard to see. After I had taken several shots, I noticed something big moving in the meadow.

It was a deer, and it was walking towards me! How could I have missed it before? Then a little to the left I saw four more, and some of them were young ones! I thought to myself that this must be one of the luckiest things that had happened to me yet! I was very excited as they came forward. That's when I began to realize that they were walking right towards me, but they weren't stopping!

As the deer moved closer, they were looking right at me. My mind began to race, and I lowered my hand that held my camera. The deer slowed to a stop less than thirty feet away from me. The one on the left lowered its head at me, and then back up as if to tell me to back off. Then the one on the right repeated this action.

My courage was beginning to leave me, but I quickly grabbed it in a stranglehold and stood my ground. These two deer were making threatening motions at me, even though they were the ones that moved towards me. I had done nothing to them! My stubbornness took over, so I made the same threatening head bobbing motions right back at them. What would happen now?

I checked around for a small tree to hide behind just in case one of them decided to charge me. But instead of making them angry, my actions seemed to have the opposite effect on them. They decided it might not be a fight they wanted, but they still weren't afraid. They made no more threatening motions, but they didn't move away either.

Deciding that we could coexist in the meadow, the deer went back to grazing. There's plenty for them to eat here, and they weren't going to give this up so easily. Even so, every once in awhile one of them would look up at me to make sure I didn't try anything evil. I was busy taking pictures of them though, and they didn't seem to mind that too much.

While all of this was happening, the little ones had disappeared into the background. I lost track of them during the short tense situation. I guess they all knew exactly what to do if things became dangerous. None of them were very afraid of me, but they were just taking normal precautions. I was definitely not going to make too many quick moves. After awhile I slowly moved away to get pictures of other things. The deer stayed in the meadow.

You might think that deer wouldn't react like this, but these are city deer. They behave slightly different around here. If I had become too threatening, they probably would have run from me, but I was only after photos anyway. This wasn't the first time I've had a tense situation with a herd of deer in this park. But it was the first time the deer actually came to me to try to chase me away. I guess they really like their meadow very much.

First, the photos are fantastic Ratty, especially the first one. I had a close deer encounter a couple of years ago in Marin County. I have to admit it scared me but he basically just looked at me for a few seconds then walked away. You are a brave on though, I have to say.

Mike - I think the deer are mostly to be seen at night here too. I just happened to catch them before they went into hiding for the day.-

Icy BC - I'm glad they didn't charge at me too. It was a very tense situation for a few minutes there.-

Ginnymo - I have learned to present myself as no threat so well that it is sometimes a problem, like in this encounter. I might have been able to scare them easily though if they would have tried something.-

Joe Todd - No skunks yet, thankfully. There are plenty around here though. I had been smelling skunk in that same area for a few days on the previous week. I want to see one, but not that close.-

PJ - It's a great meadow for the animals. I could be Dr. Doolittle but none of the animals ever listen to me when I try to tell them what to do. :)-

JStantonChandler - The nodding motion they make is kind of like that of a bull getting ready to charge. I've never heard any sounds, but I can imagine.-

The Retired One - That first one practically walked right up to me. It was looking at me the whole time as it moved forward.-

Jackie - Actually it was in a nature preserve that I got the pictures. It's a very small one. We have then scattered throughout the area. It's a very populated area so the deer see humans all the time. They are protected around here because there are too many people, so no hunting is allowed.-

Poetic Shutterbug - Deer are mostly afraid of humans, but they seem to like challenging me. Maybe it's because I work at looking not dangerous to them. It's strange because I have been known to send humans running with just a look. :)-

Ann - You're exactly right! And I get more than any hunter. I have the pictures to prove it. :)-

Lin - I wasn't sure anyone would catch that. This was a big encounter, so it can't end there, can it? :)-

Vagabonde - Thanks. That is a high compliment. :)-

Rainfield - Yes! You understand completely because of your monkeys. These deer are mostly bluffing when they threaten me though. I don't think I would challenge a monkey like I did the deer.

This was indeed very fun.-

Mike - Yes, they are familiar with humans. They also roam our neighborhoods, and sometimes sleep behind people's houses.-

Ashley - It was actually the deer that got close to me. They walked right up and basically challenged me to leave the meadow. They tried to chase me away.-

Betchai - Thanks. I hoped you would like it, especially the meadow.-

Harumi - You got it exactly right! The deer were thinking just what you thought they were, and they forcefully let me know it.

The Everyday Adventurer

Everyday and every day are commonly confused in English. There’s no difference in pronunciation, but using the wrong one when writing is a mistake in the everyday English language you use every day.

EverydayEveryday is an adjective that means commonplace, ordinary, or normal.

Example: These shoes are great for everyday wear.

Every DayEvery day means "each day."

Example: I go to the park every day.

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I Am The Everyday Adventurer

I am The Everyday Adventurer and I will take you on a journey through nature trails, local places, shops, bridges, parks, hiking, and other adventures. We'll get stranded on a deserted island, and find the way back to civilization. Learn what it's like to get caught in a winter blizzard. See photos of falling snow. A bridge to another world. Hidden rivers, and lakes. A creepy swamp. Wild animals, and strange plants. Who knows? You could discover your own everyday fun. This is a tour of the unknown and magical. We'll travel to Wonderland and back. You'll see the rabbit and the blue caterpillar. You'll even meet Alice. A trip through lost and hidden places. You'll see strange oddities that are rare and wondrous. How about a weird arcade of the bizarre? Or a look through time and history? It's all here. The world waits for you! So look around, and be amazed!